Tamiya
must produce the most beautifully engineered scale kits. Recipe to building one of
these kits is as follows : open box, remove sprues from plastic bags, add knife
blade and glue, close box and shake vigorously, open and paint. I usually build
jets / helos, but I’ve had this model languishing in my cupboard for several
years now and decided (after a long stint completing the Trumpeter CH-47) to go
for a really quick, simple build. I certainly chose the right kit. Surface
detail is beautiful, fit is spot on with no filler required anywhere. The engine
nacelle fit to the wings, incorporating the exhaust stubs, is incredibly neat
and perfect. Front cockpit detail is good, although the rear cockpit looks a bit
sparse. I decided to use those odd seat harness simulating decals that Tamiya
seems to love. To my surprise, the effect was quite realistic, especially when
viewed through a closed canopy. Masking the multiple canopy frames with Tamiya
tape was the most time consuming part of the construction process.
Click on
images below to see larger images
Painting was done using (according to the
instructions) a 50/50 mixture of Tamiya XF-10 flat brown and XF-60 dark yellow
for the upper surfaces – this results in a light sand brown colour which makes
a change from the usual Japanese green upper surfaces. The undersides were
painted light grey (XtraColor X15). The white wing and fuselage bands were
painted using Tamiya X-2 gloss white. Surprisingly, the kit decals were
atrocious – beautifully printed, but like cardboard. Luckily I tried a test
fit on my trusty old Hasegawa 32nd scale F-16. No amounts of Micro
Set/Sol would make any difference. I discarded the kit decals in disgust and
used some old decals from an Otaki kit bought 20 years ago. These went down
really well with Micro Set/Sol.
Once
past this (the only) problematic stage of the entire build process, I weathered
the aircraft as follows : a) panel lines using a combination of pastels, b) dry
brushing darkened patches (oil/scuff marks) using Humbrol enamels and c)
chipping using Tamiya X-16 aluminum and a sharp pointed brush. Final coat of
matt varnish and another model ready to be consigned to the display cabinet.
Malcolm
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